Chapter 300: Hatoru, the Mob Boss
Hatoru stood by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the sprawling garden below, his ever-present bodyguard looming silently behind him.
The man was enormous—just as tall and broad as Mason Blackfire—but where Mason was built like forged steel, this one looked like a mountain of raw flesh and weight.
Seated comfortably on the couch nearby was a dark-skinned man with sunglasses lazily hanging over his eyes. Beside him sat another man dressed impeccably in formal attire, resembling a butler or personal secretary.
A knock came from the door before one of the guards stepped inside.
"Sir, they’ve arrived."
"Good," Hatoru replied without turning around. "Send Jenna in first."
A moment later, Jenna entered the office.
"Good afternoon, sir," she said immediately, standing stiffly at attention like a soldier before her commander.
"Yes, Jenna. Very good to see you." Hatoru finally glanced at her, his expression calm and unreadable. "And it’s especially good to know my granddaughter returned safe and sound."
Jenna gritted her teeth.
So he already knew.
Of course he did.
The mention of Izumi could only mean word of the kidnapping had already reached him. At that point, there was no reason to waste energy trying to hide anything.
"I did my best, sir," she answered carefully.
The words had barely left her mouth before the giant moved.
One second he was across the room.
The next, his massive palm crashed into her face.
The impact sent her violently to the ground, her mind struggling to even comprehend how he had crossed the distance so quickly.
A huge hand slammed onto the back of her head, crushing her face against the floor.
Jenna’s eyes widened.
She couldn’t breathe.
Panic instantly clawed through her chest as she struggled beneath the overwhelming force pinning her down.
’I’m going to die...’
Just as darkness began creeping into the edge of her vision, the pressure eased slightly.
Air rushed violently back into her lungs, burning as she gasped desperately for breath.
"I’m only going to ask this once," Hatoru said coldly, his voice slicing through the room. "If you value your life, then I expect the full story. What happened?"
Jenna looked up shakily.
His gaze remained completely emotionless.
No anger.
No pity.
Nothing.
It was like staring into the eyes of a man without a soul.
The others in the room weren’t any different. Neither of them reacted in the slightest. One even calmly sipped from his coffee as though none of this concerned him.
"I’ll talk... sir," Jenna managed to mumble between breaths.
There was no point hiding anything anymore.
Izumi was safe.
That alone mattered most.
Yet, for some reason—
’Yohan...’
His name surfaced in her mind at a moment like this.
Even now, with her life hanging by a thread, Jenna couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would involve him.
She was protecting him.
And she didn’t even fully understand why.
’Why am I doing something this stupid?’ she wondered bitterly. ’Hatoru is going to find out eventually... he might already know.’
Which only made this even more pointless.
Yet exposing Yohan still felt wrong.
Not after everything he had done.
He had helped her without asking for anything in return. And it wasn’t even the first time.
For someone like Jenna, that was rare.
Ever since she had been separated from her family, nobody had ever truly helped her before. She had always been capable enough to handle everything herself, so she never needed anyone.
Or at least, that was what she told herself.
But Yohan had risked his life to save Izumi without a second thought.
Not because he had been ordered to.
He simply chose to help.
And somehow, that affected her more than she wanted to admit.
For the first time in years, Jenna realized there was more to life than carrying out missions and obeying orders. Human connections actually had meaning.
People could act out of kindness.
Out of genuine concern.
It was a strange feeling. One she still didn’t know how to process.
"Is that all?" Hatoru asked after she finished recounting her version of the story.
"Yes... sir," Jenna replied calmly, her hands clasped behind her back despite the lingering pain throbbing across her face.
’Even if I die for this, then so be it,’ she thought silently. ’At least I managed to help him somehow.’
Hatoru stared at her for a few seconds before finally speaking again.
"So let me get this straight," he said slowly, a faint hint of skepticism mixed with amusement in his voice. "You entered a building full of armed men with nothing but a pistol... just to save my granddaughter?"
Jenna remained expressionless. "Yes, sir."
The room fell silent.
Even the man casually drinking coffee paused briefly, glancing at her over the rim of his cup.
Hatoru’s gaze narrowed slightly, as though trying to determine whether she was fearless... or simply insane."If that’s the case," Hatoru said slowly, "then perhaps I should be thanking you instead."
His sharp eyes locked onto hers.
"Except... you still haven’t explained where you were when those men took her."
"At that time..." Jenna mumbled, her thoughts drifting back to Yohan’s apartment.
She had been waiting for him there.
Ironically, that was probably the only reason she was still alive right now. If she had been with Izumi when the kidnappers attacked, they would have killed her without hesitation.
The only reason Yohan survived was because he was... different.
Because he was him.
"They also mentioned there was a fight at the apartment," Hatoru continued. "Was that your doing as well?"
Jenna hesitated for the briefest moment.
"Yes," she answered. "But I was knocked unconscious."
Another lie.
Another attempt to keep Yohan out of this.
Still, from Hatoru’s reaction, it didn’t seem like he knew much beyond the surface details.
Then suddenly—
A grin spread across his face.
"Jenna," he said, almost amused, "you really are far more capable than I give you credit for."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I’ve watched you accomplish incredible things over the years, but this?" He chuckled softly. "I’m genuinely impressed."
"T-Thank you, sir," Jenna replied stiffly.
The sudden change in atmosphere unsettled her more than the violence from earlier.
Moments ago, he had had her skull pressed against the floor.
Now he was praising her.
That unpredictability made him terrifying.
Just as the silence began settling over the room again—
"Grandpa!"
The office doors burst open.
Izumi rushed inside without hesitation, her voice echoing through the room.
The giant bodyguard immediately stepped forward on instinct, but Hatoru raised a single finger, stopping him instantly.
Izumi ignored everyone else completely as she ran straight toward the old man.
"You’re finally back," Hatoru said, his cold expression softening ever so slightly.
Jenna stared silently.
It was almost unbelievable seeing the same man who had nearly killed her moments ago look at someone with such warmth.
